Western New England University

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (September 12, 2026) – The Western New England men's soccer team dropped its Conference of New England opener on home grass on Saturday afternoon, as the Bison of Nichols College took an early lead and never relinquished it, handing WNE its first loss to Nichols since 2019, falling by a final score of 3-1. 

Records:

• Western New England: 1-2-2, 0-1 CNE
• Nichols College: 4-2-0, 1-0 CNE

How it Happened:
First Half:

• Nichols struck early when Ethan Knowles scored in the second minute to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. WNE responded with chances from Evan Schultz and Nick Edward, but neither resulted in a goal as the Golden Bears worked to settle into the match and draw level.
• WNE began to generate more offensive pressure, with Tyler Lewis, Saif Shaker and Owen Dieterle each recording shots while the Golden Bears earned their first corner kick of the match. WNE continued to control possession and territory, but Nichols goalkeeper Anthony Grguric kept the Golden Bears off the board, making four saves in the opening half. 
• WNE continued to apply pressure with four shots on goal from Junior Beyoko, Owen Dieterle and Ben Riley, all of which were turned aside by Grguric, while the Golden Bears added three more corner kicks. Nichols carried its 1-0 advantage into halftime despite WNE holding a 12-1 edge in shots. 

Second Half:

• WNE threatened early in the second half with shots from Cole Casinghino, Ryan Sunshine and Tyler Lewis, but Nichols broke through just nine minutes into the second half to double its lead, when Knowles converted a penalty kick to give the Bison a 2-0 lead, netting his second goal of the match. 
• The Golden Bears answered in the 64^th minute when Ben Riley finished a pass from Junior Beyoko to cut the Nichols lead to 2-1. WNE continued to push forward, earning multiple corner kicks and creating additional opportunities in the final third of the field. 
• The Bison found a chance late in the 68^th minute and buried the chance when Knowles made WNE GK Brendan L'Italien miss at the corner of the net and passed to an open Brody Figiela in front of the goal, giving the Bison a 3-1 lead. 
• WNE mounted sustained pressure in the closing stages, generating several chances from Tyler Lewis, Owen Dieterle, Jacob Dounetos and Ryan Sunshine, including Sunshine's shot off the crossbar in the 86^th minute, but the Golden Bears could not come up with a second goal in the game and would fall by a final score of 3-1. 

Inside the Lines:

• Ben Riley netted his first goal of the season in the 64^th minute for WNE, but it would not be enough. Junior Beyoko picked up the assist on the Riley tally. 
• Nichols saw Ethan Knowles go for a career game, scoring a pair of goals and adding an assist in the victory. 
• Western New England outshot Nichols 28-6 overall in the 90 minutes. The Golden Bears put just ten shots on goal. 
• Brendan L'Italien allowed three goals on three shots on goal over 71 minutes of action. Anthony Shea relieved L'Italien and came away with one save over just shy of 19 minutes of action. 
• Western New England falls to Nichols for the first time since 2019, which is the last time the Blue and Gold lost to Nichols on home field. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Western New England looks to bounce back with a conference game against Roger Williams University on Saturday, September 19 at 3:00 PM.